Image reading apparatus

ABSTRACT

An image reading apparatus includes a transport unit which transports a document, and reading units which read an image of the document which is transported. It is assumed that an operation of reading an image when specific setting information is not input to a control device of the image reading apparatus is set to a first reading mode, and an operation of reading an image when specific setting information is input to the control device is set to a second reading mode. In this case, in the second reading mode, image data of an image with a resolution which is equal to that in the first reading mode is generated, while causing the reading units to read an image from a document which is transported by the transport device at a lower speed than that in the first reading mode.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

The present invention relates to an image reading apparatus including areading unit which reads an image of the original document which istransported using a transport unit.

2. Related Art

In JP-A-2003-128298, an example of an image reading apparatus whichtransports the original document which is set in a setting unit to apredetermined reading position, and reads an image of the originaldocument which is transported to the same reading position using areading unit is described.

Meanwhile, when transporting a color document, a transport failure suchas paper jam easily occurs compared to a case of transporting amonochrome document. Therefore, in the image reading apparatus which isdescribed in JP-A-2003-128298, when reading an image of a colordocument, transporting of the document is performed at a low speedcompared to a case of reading an image of a monochrome document.Specifically, in a control device of an image reading apparatus, wheninformation based on a user operation is input, whether it is reading ofan image of a color document or reading of an image of a monochromedocument is determined. In addition, when it is reading of an image of amonochrome document, a normal transport mode is selected, and when it isreading of an image of a color document, a transport mode of which atransport speed is lower than that of the normal transport mode isselected. A transport unit is operated using a transport mode which isselected in this manner.

Meanwhile, there is a case in which images of various documents withdifferent thickness are read in an image reading apparatus. Whentransporting a thin document, a transport failure such as paper jameasily occurs compared to a case when a thick document is transported.Therefore, when reading an image of a thin document, it is preferable totransport the document at a low speed compared to a case of reading animage of a thick document.

However, in an image reading apparatus which reads an image of adocument which is transported by a transport unit using a reading unit,in general, there is correlation between the transport speed of thedocument and the resolution of an obtained image.

Specifically, when a transport speed of a document is low, image data asimage data with high resolution is generated. For this reason, whenchanging a transport speed of a document according to the thickness ofthe document, image data which is generated is not limited to image datawith a resolution which is desired by a user.

SUMMARY

An advantage of some aspects of the invention is to provide an imagereading apparatus which can generate data of an image with a resolutionwhich is desired by a user, even when a transport speed of a document isvariable.

According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided an imagereading apparatus which includes a transport unit which transports adocument; a reading unit which reads an image of the document which istransported by the transport unit; and a control unit which generatesimage data as data of the image which is read by the reading unit, inwhich, as operation modes for performing reading in the reading unit,there are a first reading mode and a second reading mode in whichresolutions of the generated image data are the same, and transportspeeds are different from each other, and the control unit transportsthe document at a low speed when reading the document in the secondreading mode compared to a case in which the document is read in thefirst reading mode.

According to the configuration, image data items with the sameresolution are generated in both the cases of reading in the firstreading mode and the second reading mode. Accordingly, even when adocument is transported at a different transport speed, it is possibleto provide a user with data of an image with a resolution which isdesired by the user.

In addition, when image reading is instructed in a circumstance in whichspecific setting information is input to the control unit, the secondreading mode is executed. That is, when a user recognizes that adocument is thin, image reading is instructed to an image readingapparatus by a user after a user operation such as inputting of theabove described specified setting information to the control unit isperformed. At this time, although the document is transported at a lowerspeed than that in the first reading mode, image data of an image withthe same resolution as that in the first reading mode is generated. Thatis, it is possible to provide image data which is independent from atransport speed of a document to a user while suppressing a transportfailure such as a paper jam. Accordingly, even when a transport speed ofa document is variable, it is possible to generate data of an image witha resolution which is desired by a user.

In the image reading apparatus, it is preferable that the control unitswitches a reading mode to be executed from the first reading mode tothe second reading mode when starting reading of an image of thesubsequent document of one document, in a case in which the specificsetting information is input in the middle of transporting the onedocument in each of the documents using the transport unit whencontinuously reading images of a plurality of documents.

According to the configuration, when the above described specificsetting information is input to the control unit in the middle oftransporting of one document in each document at a time of continuouslyreading images of a plurality of documents, the first reading mode iscontinued until reading of an image of the one document is completed.That is, a reading mode is not changed in the middle of transporting onedocument, and a transport speed of the document is not changed. For thisreason, it is possible to suppress an increase in control load which iscaused by switching of a reading mode in the middle of reading of animage.

Thereafter, when reading of an image of the subsequent document isperformed, the second reading mode is executed instead of the firstreading mode. That is, when reading an image of a document after onedocument, the document is transported at a low speed. Moreover, since itis the second reading mode, image data as data of an image with the sameresolution as that in the first reading mode is generated, even when adocument is transported at a low speed. Accordingly, when reading animage of a document after the one document, it is possible to provideimage data which is independent from a transport speed to a user whilesuppressing the occurrence of a transport failure of the document bytransporting the document at a low speed.

In the image reading apparatus, it may be possible to set an operationmode of reading a document with a first thickness to the first readingmode, and an operation mode of reading a document with a secondthickness which is thinner than the document with the first thickness tothe second reading mode.

According to the configuration, when a document which is transported bythe transport unit is not thin, the first reading mode is executed. Inaddition, when a user instructs reading of an image of a document to theimage reading apparatus, the resolution of the image based on image datato be generated can be selected by the user. For this reason, it ispossible to provide a user with data of an image with a resolution whichis desired by the user.

On the other hand, when a document which is transported by the transportunit is thin, the second reading mode is executed. In this case,although the document is transported at a lower speed than that in thefirst reading mode, data of an image with the same resolution as that inthe first reading mode is generated.

That is, it is possible to provide image data which is independent froma transport speed of a document to a user while suppressing a transportfailure such as paper jam. Accordingly, even when a transport speed of adocument is variable, it is possible to generate data of an image with aresolution which is desired by the user.

It is preferable that the image reading apparatus further includes asonic wave sensor which outputs a sonic wave to a document which istransported by the transport unit, and detects an attenuation rate ofthe sonic wave, and the control unit determines that the document whichis transported by the transport unit is thin when an attenuation rate ofa sonic wave which is detected by the sonic wave sensor under acircumstance in which the document is transported by the transport unitis less than a determining attenuation rate, and executes the secondreading mode.

When a document is thin, an attenuation rate of a sonic wave which isdetected by the sonic wave sensor tends to be small. Therefore, in theabove described configuration, when an attenuation rate of a sonic wavewhich is detected by the sonic wave sensor is less than a determiningattenuation rate, the second reading mode is executed, since it ispossible to determine that a document which is transported is thin. Itis possible to execute the second reading mode by automaticallyselecting the mode, using a detection result which is obtained by usingthe sonic wave sensor in this manner.

In the image reading apparatus, it is preferable that the sonic wavesensor is a sensor which detects whether or not a plurality of documentsare transported by being overlapped, a multi-feeding detectingattenuation rate which is larger than the determining attenuation rateis provided as a threshold value for determining whether or not aplurality of documents are transported by being overlapped, the controlunit executes the first reading mode when an attenuation rate of a sonicwave which is detected by the sonic wave sensor under a circumstance inwhich a document is transported by the transport unit is the determiningattenuation rate or more, and less than the multi-feeding detectingattenuation rate, and stops transporting of a document using thetransport unit and reading of an image using the reading unit, when anattenuation rate of a sonic wave which is detected by the sonic wavesensor under a circumstance in which a document is transported by thetransport unit is the multi-feeding detecting attenuation rate or more.

When a plurality of documents are transported by being overlapped, anattenuation rate of a sonic wave which is detected by a sonic wavesensor tends to be large compared to a case in which only one documentis transported. In addition, an attenuation rate of a sonic wave in acase in which two thin documents are overlapped becomes larger than anattenuation rate of a sonic wave in a case in which one document whichis not thin is transported. Therefore, according to the above describedconfiguration, a multi-feeding detecting attenuation rate which is athreshold value for determining whether or not a plurality of documentsare transported by being overlapped is determined to be a value which islarger than the determining attenuation rate. In addition, by using themulti-feeding detecting attenuation rate, it is possible to determinewhether one document which is not thin is transported, or a plurality ofdocuments are transported by being overlapped. In addition, by adoptingsuch a determination result, it is possible to appropriately drive theimage reading apparatus according to a circumstance.

In the image reading apparatus, it is preferable that the transport unitincludes a pair of transport rollers which is located on the upstreamside in a transport direction of a document compared to the readingunit, and a feeding roller which is arranged on the upstream side in thetransport direction of a document compared to the pair of transportrollers, and feeds the document toward the pair of transport rollers,and the sonic wave sensor is arranged between the feeding roller and thepair of transport rollers in the transport direction of the document.

According to the configuration, it is possible to determine whether ornot a document which is transported is thin on the upstream side of thereading unit in the transport direction.

In the image reading apparatus, it is preferable that the control unitswitches a reading mode to be executed from the second reading mode tothe first reading mode, when a predetermined ending condition issatisfied under a circumstance in which the second reading mode isselected.

According to the configuration, when it is not necessary to execute thesecond reading mode, a mode can be switched from the second reading modeto the first reading mode.

In the image reading apparatus, it is preferable that the control unitswitches a reading mode to be executed at a time of reading thesubsequent image from the second reading mode to the first reading mode,when setting information for ending the second reading mode is inputunder a circumstance in which the second reading mode is selected.

According to the configuration, when setting information which denotesthat executing of the second reading mode is not necessary is input, itis possible to execute the first reading mode when reading thesubsequent image.

In the image reading apparatus, it is preferable that the control unitswitches a reading mode to be executed from the second reading mode tothe first reading mode, when starting reading of an image based on thesubsequent job under a circumstance in which the second reading mode isselected.

According to the configuration, it is possible to automatically executethe first reading mode when reading an image based on the subsequentjob.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be described with reference to the accompanyingdrawings, wherein like numbers reference like elements.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view which illustrates a schematic configurationof a first embodiment of an image reading apparatus.

FIG. 2 is a side view which illustrates a transport device, andperipheral members of the transport device of the image readingapparatus.

FIG. 3 is a table for describing a plurality of first reading modes.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram which describes a functional configuration ofthe image reading apparatus.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart which describes a processing procedure whenperforming reading of an image using the image reading apparatus.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart which describes a processing procedure whenperforming reading of an image using an image reading apparatusaccording to a second embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram which describes a functional configuration ofan image reading apparatus according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart which describes a processing procedure whenperforming reading of an image using the image reading apparatus.

DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS First Embodiment

Hereinafter, a first embodiment in which an image reading apparatus isembodied will be described according to FIGS. 1 to 5.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, an image reading apparatus 11 according to theembodiment includes a housing 12, and a cover member 13 which isrotatably supported by the housing 12. A user interface 50 of theapparatus is provided in the cover member 13. That is, the userinterface 50 includes a plurality of buttons 51, and a plurality oflamps 52.

One button of each of the buttons 51 is a specifying button 51A which isoperated when instructing an execution of reading of an image in thesecond reading mode which will be described later. In addition, one lampof each of the lamps 52 is a specifying lamp 52A which is turned on whenthe specifying button 51A enters the ON-state. In addition, thespecifying lamp 52A is turned off when the specifying button 51A entersthe OFF-state.

In addition, as illustrated in FIG. 2, a setting unit 14 in which adocument MS on which reading of an image is not performed yet is set isprovided in the image reading apparatus 11. When a plurality ofdocuments MS are set in the setting unit 14, each document MS is stackedon the setting unit 14. In addition, a transport device 20 as atransport unit which transports the document MS, and a reading device 30which reads an image of the document MS which is transported by thetransport device 20 are provided inside the housing 12.

In addition, the document MS which is set in the setting unit 14 entersinto the housing 12 one by one, and is transported along a predeterminedtransport path. In addition, an image of the document MS is read whilebeing transported, and the document MS of which the image is read isdischarged to the outside of the housing 12.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the transport device 20 includes a feedingroller 21, a pair of feeding rollers 22, a pair of transport rollers 23,and a pair of discharging rollers 24 which are arranged in order fromthe upstream side to the downstream side in the transport direction ofthe document MS. In addition, the transport device 20 includes a feedingmotor 25 and a transport motor 26 as driving sources for transportingthe document MS. A driving force from the feeding motor 25 istransmitted to the feeding roller 21, and a driving force from thetransport motor 26 is transmitted to the pair of feeding rollers 22, thepair of transport rollers 23, and the pair of discharging rollers 24.

The feeding roller 21 feeds the lowermost document MS in the pluralityof documents MS which are set in the setting unit 14 to the inside ofthe housing 12. In addition, a guiding member 27 is arranged on theupper part of the feeding roller 21. Due to the guiding member 27,entering of a document other than the lowermost document MS into thehousing 12 is suppressed.

The pair of feeding rollers 22 includes a driving roller 221 which isconnected to the transport motor 26 in a driving manner, and a drivenroller 222 to which a driving force from the transport motor 26 istransmitted through the driving roller 221. In addition, when thedriving roller 221 and the driven roller 222 rotate, the document MS isinterposed between both the rollers 221 and 222, and is sent toward thepair of transport rollers 23.

The driven roller 222 of the pair of feeding rollers 22 is a retardingroller to which a constant rotation load is applied using a torquelimiting mechanism such as a torque limiter. For this reason, when theplurality of documents MS are fed into the housing 12 from the settingunit 14 in an overlapped state, only one document MS is sent to thedownstream side in the transport direction due to the pair of feedingrollers 22. In this point, two rollers 221 and 222 which configure thepair of feeding rollers 22 function as the “feeding roller” which sendsthe document MS toward the pair of transport rollers 23.

The pair of transport rollers 23 is arranged on the upstream side in thetransport direction which is the right side in the figure compared tothe reading device 30. Such a pair of transport rollers 23 includes adriving roller 231 which is connected to the transport motor 26 in adriving manner, and a driven roller 232 to which a driving force fromthe transport motor 26 is transmitted through the driving roller 231. Inaddition, when the driving roller 231 and the driven roller 232 rotate,the document MS is interposed between both the rollers 231 and 232, andis sent toward the reading device 30.

The pair of discharging rollers 24 is arranged on the downstream side inthe transport direction which is the left side in the figure compared tothe reading device 30. Such a pair of discharging rollers 24 includes adriving roller 241 which is connected to the transport motor 26 in adriving manner, and a driven roller 242 to which a driving force fromthe transport motor 26 is transmitted through the driving roller 241. Inaddition, when the driving roller 241 and the driven roller 242 rotate,the document MS is interposed between both the rollers 241 and 242, andis discharged to the outside of the housing 12.

The reading device 30 includes two reading units 31 and 32 whichinterpose the document MS which is transported along the transportdirection therebetween, and are arranged on vertical both sides. In eachreading unit 31 and 32, a reading unit on the lower side is a firstreading unit 31, and a reading unit on the upper side is a secondreading unit 32. That is, the first reading unit 31 reads an image onone face (lower face in figure) of the document MS, and the secondreading unit 32 reads an image on the other face (upper face in figure)of the document MS. In addition, as the reading unit, for example, thereis a Contact Image Sensor Module (CISM). As a matter of course, anothermodule may be adopted as the reading unit, in addition to the CISM.

In addition, as illustrated in FIG. 2, an end portion detecting sensor600 which detects an end portion of the document MS is provided betweenthe reading device 30 and the pair of transport rollers 23 in thetransport direction of the document MS.

In addition, a multi-feeding detecting sensor 610 which detects the factthat a plurality of documents MS are transported in an overlapped stateis provided between the pair of feeding rollers 22 and the pair oftransport rollers 23 in the transport direction of the document MS. Themulti-feeding detecting sensor 610 is a sonic wave sensor, and includesan output unit 611 which outputs a sonic wave, and an input unit 612 towhich the sonic wave output from the output unit 611 is input. Inaddition, one of the output unit 611 and the input unit 612 is arrangedon the upper part in the figure compared to document MS which istransported along the transport direction, and the other is arranged onthe lower part in the figure compared to document MS which istransported along the transport direction. In the example which isillustrated in FIG. 2, the input unit 612 is arranged on the upper partin the figure, and the output unit 611 is arranged on the lower part inthe figure.

In addition, the multi-feeding detecting sensor 610 detects anattenuation rate α of a sonic wave. When an output value of a sonic wavewhich is output from the output unit 611 is set to “X1”, and an inputvalue which is input to the input unit 612 is set to “X2”, theattenuation rate α is a value which can be calculated using thefollowing relational expression (expression 1).

α=(X1−X2)/X1   (expression 1)

Meanwhile, in the image reading apparatus 11 according to theembodiment, a user can select a resolution of an image based on imagedata which is output from the apparatus. That is, it is possible toselect a first reading mode as an example of a reading mode of an imagethrough an operation of the user interface 50 by a user, or an operationof an external device which communicates with the image readingapparatus 11, by a user.

In addition, in the image reading apparatus 11 which causes the readingunits 31 and 32 to read an image of the document MS which istransported, when a transport speed of the document MS is low, imagedata with a high resolution is generated. For this reason, the firstreading mode for providing image data with a high resolution to a useris a mode which transports the document MS at a speed which is relatedto a resolution desired by a user.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a table which denotes a plurality of(here, three) the first reading modes. As illustrated in FIG. 3, a firstmode is a reading mode in which a transport speed of the document MS ishigh, and image data with a low resolution is generated. A second modeis a reading mode in which a transport speed of the document MS is at anintermediate level, and image data with an intermediate resolution isgenerated. A third mode is a reading mode in which a transport speed ofthe document MS is low, and image data with a high resolution isgenerated.

In addition, a user can select one reading mode (that is, first readingmode) from the three modes when instructing reading of an image to theimage reading apparatus 11.

Here, in the image reading apparatus 11 according to the embodiment, itis possible to execute reading of images of various documents MS withdifferent thickness. In addition, when the document MS is thin, atransport failure such as paper jam easily occurs in the middle oftransporting. In order to suppress such a transport failure, it isdesirable to transport the document MS at a low speed.

Therefore, as described above, the specifying button 51A is provided inthe user interface 50. The specifying button 51A is a button which isset to the ON-state when reading an image of a document MS in which atransport failure easily occurs in the middle of transporting, such as athin document MS, for example. In addition, when the specifying button51A is set to the ON-state through an operation by a user, specificsetting information which is information related to a specific useroperation is input to a control device 60 (refer to FIG. 4) as a controlunit of the image reading apparatus 11, and the second reading modewhich is different from the first reading mode is executed. In addition,the “specific user operation” here, is a button operation by a user forsetting the specifying button 51A to the ON-state.

That is, an operation of reading an image from a document MS whenspecific setting information is not input to the control device 60 isset to the first reading mode. In addition, an operation of reading animage from a document MS when specific setting information is input tothe control device 60 is set to the second reading mode.

The second reading mode is a mode for generating data of an image withthe same resolution as that in the first reading mode while transportinga document MS at a lower speed than that in the first reading mode.

For example, when the specifying button 51A is set to the ON-state undera circumstance in which executing of the first mode is selected by auser, that is, a circumstance in which a resolution desired by a user isa low resolution, the following second reading mode is executed.

-   -   A document MS is transported at a lower speed than that in the        first mode. For example, transporting is performed at a        transport speed of the document MS in the third mode, or a speed        corresponding to the transport speed.    -   Image data with the same resolution as that in the first mode is        generated.

In addition, when the specifying button 51A is set to the ON-state undera circumstance in which executing of the third mode is selected by auser, that is, a circumstance in which a resolution desired by a user isa high resolution, the following second reading mode is executed.

-   -   A document MS is transported at a lower speed than that in the        third mode.    -   Image data with the same resolution as that in the third mode is        generated.

Since a document MS is transported at a low speed by executing such asecond reading mode, the occurrence of a transport failure of a documentMS is suppressed, even when reading an image of the document MS which isthin. Moreover, even when a document MS is transported at a low speed inthis manner, a resolution of an image based on image data which isgenerated becomes a resolution desired by a user, that is, a resolutionwhich is equal to that in a case of the first reading mode which isselected by a user.

Subsequently, the control device 60 of the image reading apparatus 11will be described with reference to FIG. 4.

The control device 60 includes a microcomputer which is configured of aCPU, a ROM, and the like, and various driver circuits. As illustrated inFIG. 4, such a control device 60 includes a transport control unit 61, amode selection unit 66, a data generation unit 64, and a data outputunit 65 as functional units which are configured of at least one ofsoftware and hardware.

The transport control unit 61 controls the transport device 20. That is,when a transport start instruction of a document MS, that is, when aninstruction of reading an image of a document MS is input, the transportcontrol unit 61 rotates the feeding roller 21 by driving the feedingmotor 25. In this manner, one document MS is fed into the housing 12from the setting unit 14. In addition, the transport control unit 61stops driving of the feeding motor 25 when the document MS, which istransported using a rotation of the feeding roller 21, is interposedbetween two rollers 221 and 222 which configure the pair of feedingrollers 22.

In addition, the transport control unit 61 rotates each roller 221, 231,241, 222, 232, and 242 of the pair of feeding rollers 22, the pair oftransport rollers 23, and pair of discharging rollers 24 by driving thetransport motor 26. In addition, a driving start timing of the transportmotor 26 may be the same as a timing of starting driving of the feedingmotor 25, and may be later than the timing of starting driving of thefeeding motor 25. In addition, the transport control unit 61 stopsdriving of the transport motor 26 after a timing in which a rear end ofa document MS passes through the pair of discharging rollers 24.

In addition, information related to a transport speed of a document MSis input to the transport control unit 61 from the mode selection unit66. In addition, the transport control unit 61 controls driving of thetransport motor 26 so that the document MS is transported at a speedbased on the input information.

The mode selection unit 66 determines a reading mode to be executedbased on user information which is input when executing reading of animage. That is, the mode selection unit 66 selects the first readingmode corresponding to a resolution of an image which is desired by auser (refer to FIG. 3) when information for specifying a resolution ofan image is input from the user interface 50 or an external device. Forexample, when a user desires an image with a high resolution, the modeselection unit 66 selects the third mode. In addition, the modeselection unit 66 outputs information related to the selected readingmode to the transport control unit 61 and the data generation unit 64.In addition, the mode selection unit 66 selects the second reading modewhen the specifying button 51A is in the ON-state, and outputsinformation related to the reading mode to the transport control unit 61and the data generation unit 64.

The data generation unit 64 controls each of the reading units 31 and 32of the reading device 30, and obtains images which are read by each ofthe reading units 31 and 32. In addition, the data generation unit 64generates image data as data of images which are read by the readingunits 31 and 32, and outputs the image data to the data output unit 65.

A resolution of an image based on image data which is generated at thistime is a resolution corresponding to information related to aresolution which is input from the mode selection unit 66. That is, whenthe specifying button 51A is in the OFF-state, the data generation unit64 generates data of an image with a resolution corresponding to atransport speed of a document MS. On the other hand, when the specifyingbutton 51A is in the ON-state, the data generation unit 64 generatesdata of an image with a resolution which is desired by a user, even whena transport speed of a document MS is low.

Here, obtaining an image from a document MS is executed by causing thereading units 31 and 32 to read an image at each predetermined timingwhen the document MS is transported. For this reason, the lower thetransport speed of a document MS, the higher the resolution of an imagewhich is obtained by the reading units 31 and 32. For this reason, thereis a concern that a resolution of an image which is obtained whenexecuting the second reading mode may be higher than a resolution whichis desired by a user. Therefore, the data generation unit 64 lowers aresolution of an obtained image to a resolution which is desired by auser, and generates data of an image with the same resolution in thesecond reading mode.

In addition, when executing the second reading mode, the data generationunit 64 may control the reading units 31 and 32 so that it is possibleto obtain an image with a low resolution (that is, image with resolutionwhich is obtained when assuming that first reading mode is executed).For example, it is possible to obtain an image with a resolution whichis lower than a resolution corresponding to a transport speed of adocument MS, by delaying the above described predetermined timing. Inthis case, the data generation unit 64 can generate data of an imagewith a resolution which is desired by a user, even when a transportspeed of the document MS is low. That is, it is not necessary to performa process of lowering a resolution of an obtained image.

The data output unit 65 transmits image data which is generated in thedata generation unit 64 to an external device.

Subsequently, a processing procedure when reading an image of a documentMS will be described with reference to the flowchart illustrated in FIG.5.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, whether or not the specifying button 51A is inthe ON-state is determined under a circumstance in which any one mode ofthe first mode, the second mode, and the third mode is selected (stepS11). When the specifying button 51A is in the OFF-state, (No in stepS11), the first reading mode (step S12) is selected, and the processproceeds to step S14 which will be described later. On the other hand,when the specifying button 51A is in the ON-state (Yes in step S11), thesecond reading mode (step S13) is selected, the specifying lamp 52A isturned on, and the process proceeds to the subsequent step S14.

In step S14, when the selected reading mode is started to be executed,reading of an image is started. For example, when the specifying button51A is in the OFF-state, and the second mode is selected, a document MSis transported at an intermediate speed by the transport device 20, anddata of an image with an intermediate resolution is generated. Inaddition, when the specifying button 51A is in the ON-state, and thesecond mode is selected, a document MS is transported at a low speed bythe transport device 20, and image data of an image with an intermediateresolution is generated.

In addition, whether or not an attenuation rate a which is detectedusing the multi-feeding detecting sensor 610 is the multi-feedingdetecting attenuation rate βTh1 or more is determined in the middle ofperforming reading of an image in this manner (step S15). Themulti-feeding detecting attenuation rate αTh1 is a threshold value fordetermining whether or not a plurality of documents MS are transportedby being overlapped. For example, it is assumed that an attenuation rateα when only one document MS with a normal thickness is transported, andthe document MS is located between the output unit 611 and the inputunit 612 of the multi-feeding detecting sensor 610 is set to a “standardattenuation rate”. In this case, the multi-feeding detecting attenuationrate αTh1 is set to a value which is larger than the standardattenuation rate.

In addition, when the attenuation rate α is larger than themulti-feeding detecting attenuation rate αTh1 (Yes in step S15), readingof an image is stopped (step S16), since it is possible to determinethat a plurality of documents MS are transported by being overlapped. Inthis case, transporting of the document MS is stopped, and the error isnotified to a user using the user interface 50. Thereafter, the processis finished.

Meanwhile, when the attenuation rate α is less than the multi-feedingdetecting attenuation rate αTh1 (No in step S15), reading of the imageis continued, since it is possible to determine that only one documentMS is transported. In addition, whether or not reading of the image iscompleted is determined (step S17).

In addition, it is possible to detect a rear end of a document MS basedon a reading result using the reading units 31 and 32. That is, it ispossible to determine whether or not the rear end of the document MS islocated on the downstream side in the transport direction of the readingunits 31 and 32 based on a reading result using the reading units 31 and32. In addition, it is possible to determine that reading of the imageof the document MS is completed when the rear end of the document MS islocated on the downstream side in the transport direction of the readingunits 31 and 32.

When reading of the image of the document MS is not completed (No instep S17), the process proceeds to the above described step S15, andreading of the image is continued. On the other hand, when reading ofthe image of the document MS is completed (Yes in step S17), the processproceeds to the subsequent step S18.

In step S18, whether or not there is the subsequent document MS of whichan image is to be read is determined. When there is the subsequentdocument MS (Yes in step S18), the process proceeds to the abovedescribed step S14, and transporting of the subsequent document MS isstarted. In this case, a transport speed of the subsequent document MSis the same as that in the previous document MS. Meanwhile, when thereis not the subsequent document MS (No in step S18), image data which isgenerated by the data generation unit 64 is output using the data outputunit 65 (step S19), and the process is finished.

In addition, when continuously reading images of a plurality ofdocuments MS, there is a case in which the specifying button 51A isoperated by a user in the middle of continuous reading of a series ofimages. In the image reading apparatus 11 according to the embodiment,such an operation of the specifying button 51A by a user is set to beinvalid.

That is, even when the specifying button 51A is operated in the middleof continuous reading of images, a transport speed of one document and atransport speed of the subsequent document are set to be equal. In otherwords, an operation of the specifying button 51A before startingcontinuous reading of a series of images, that is, before starting aprocess which is described using FIG. 5 is set to be valid.

As described above, in the image reading apparatus 11 according to theembodiment, it is possible to obtain the following effects.

(1) When reading of an image is instructed under a circumstance in whichthe specifying button 51A is in the OFF-state, the first reading mode isexecuted. That is, when a user recognizes that a document MS which isset in the setting unit 14 is not thin, reading of an image isinstructed by a user with respect to the image reading apparatus 11without setting the specifying button 51A to the ON-state. At this time,a resolution of an image based on generated image data can be selectedby a user when the user inputs an instruction of reading. For thisreason, a document MS is transported at a transport speed correspondingto a resolution of an image which is desired by a user, and data of theimage with the resolution which is desired by the user is generated.Accordingly, it is possible to provide a user with data of an image witha resolution which is desired by the user.

On the other hand, when reading of an image is instructed under acircumstance in which the specifying button 51A is in the ON-state, thesecond reading mode is executed. That is, when a user recognizes that adocument MS which is set in the setting unit 14 is thin, reading of animage is instructed by a user with respect to the image readingapparatus 11 after setting the specifying button 51A to the ON-state. Atthis time, although the document MS is transported at a speed which islower than that in the first reading mode, data of an image with thesame resolution as that in the first reading mode is generated. That is,it is possible to provide image data which is independent from atransport speed of a document MS to a user while suppressing a transportfailure such as paper jam. Accordingly, it is possible to generate dataof an image with a resolution which is desired by a user, even when atransport speed of a document MS is variable.

Second Embodiment

Subsequently, a second embodiment in which an image reading apparatus 11is embodied will be described according to FIG. 6. In addition, in thesecond embodiment, a part of processing procedure when the specifyingbutton 51A is in the ON-state is different from that in the firstembodiment. Accordingly, in the following descriptions, parts which aredifferent from those in the first embodiment will be mainly described,and the same constituent elements as those in the first embodiment aregiven the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions will beomitted.

In FIG. 6, a flowchart for describing a processing procedure whenperforming reading of an image of a document MS is illustrated.

As illustrated in FIG. 6, whether or not the specifying button 51A is inthe ON-state is determined under a circumstance in which any one mode ofthe first mode, the second mode, and the third mode is selected (stepS11). When the specifying button 51A is in the OFF-state (No in stepS11), the first reading mode is selected (step S12), and the processproceeds to step S14 which will be described later. On the other hand,when the specifying button 51A is in the ON-state (Yes in step S11), thesecond reading mode is selected (step S13), and the process proceeds tothe subsequent step S14.

In step S14, reading of an image is started when the selected readingmode is started to be executed. In addition, when an attenuation rate αwhich is detected using the multi-feeding detecting sensor 610 is themulti-feeding detecting attenuation rate αTh1 or more in the middle ofperforming reading of the image in this manner (Yes in step S15), sinceit is possible to determine that a plurality of documents MS aretransported by being overlapped, reading of the image is stopped (stepS16). In this case, transporting of the document MS is stopped, and theerror is notified to a user using the user interface 50. For example,the specifying lamp 52A is turned on. Thereafter, the process isfinished.

Meanwhile, when the attenuation rate α is less than the multi-feedingdetecting attenuation rate αTh1 (No in step S15), since it is possibleto determine that only one document MS is transported, reading of theimage is continued. In addition, when reading of the image of thedocument MS is not completed (No in step S17), the process proceeds tothe above described step S15, and reading of the image of the documentMS is continued. On the other hand, when reading of the image of thedocument MS is already completed (Yes in step S17), the process proceedsto the subsequent step S18.

In step S18, whether or not there is the subsequent document MS of whichan image is to be read is determined. When there is no subsequentdocument MS (No in step S18), image data which is generated by the datageneration unit 64 is output using the data output unit 65 (step S19),and the process is finished.

On the other hand, when there is the subsequent document MS (Yes in stepS18), the process proceeds to the above described step S11, andtransporting of the subsequent document MS is started. That is, when thespecifying button 51A is changed in the middle of reading the previousimage, even though a transport speed of the document MS is changed fromreading of the image of this time, a resolution of the image based on agenerated image mode is the same as that when reading the previousimage.

For example, when the specifying button 51A is changed from theOFF-state to the ON-state in the middle of reading the previous image,the first reading mode is executed when reading the previous image, butin contrast to this, the second reading mode is executed when readingthe image of this time. That is, when starting reading of the image ofthis time, a mode to be executed is switched from the first reading modeto the second reading mode.

On the other hand, when the specifying button 51A is changed from theON-state to the OFF-state in the middle of reading the previous image,the second reading mode is executed when reading the previous image, butin contrast to this, the first reading mode is executed when reading theimage of this time. That is, when setting information which denotesending of the second reading mode is input under a circumstance in whichthe second reading mode is selected, a mode to be executed is switchedfrom the second reading mode to the first reading mode when startingreading of the image of this time. Accordingly, in the image readingapparatus 11 according to the embodiment, changing of the specifyingbutton 51A from the ON-state to the OFF-state due to an operation of thespecifying button 51A by a user corresponds to a “predetermined endingcondition”.

As described above, according to the image reading apparatus 11 in theembodiment, it is possible to obtain the following effects, in additionto the same effect as the effect (1) in the above described firstembodiment.

(2) When the specifying button 51A is set to the ON-state in the middleof transporting one document in each document MS, when continuouslyreading images of a plurality of documents MS, executing of the firstreading mode is continued until reading of an image of the one documentis completed. That is, a reading mode is not changed in the middle oftransporting one document, and a transport speed of the document is notchanged. For this reason, it is possible to suppress an increase incontrol load which is caused by switching of a reading mode in themiddle of reading an image.

Thereafter, when reading an image of the subsequent document, the secondreading mode is executed instead of the first reading mode. That is,when reading an image of a document after one document, the document istransported at a low speed. Moreover, since the second reading mode isexecuted, even when the document is transported at a low speed, data ofan image with the same resolution as that in the first reading mode isgenerated. Accordingly, even when reading an image of a document afterthe one document, it is possible to provide image data which isindependent from a transport speed to a user while suppressing anoccurrence of a transport failure of a document MS by transporting thedocument MS at a low speed.

(3) However, when switching of the specifying button 51A from theON-state to the OFF-state is performed at a time of executing reading ofan image of a document MS in the second reading mode, it is possible todetermine that a condition for ending executing of the second readingmode is satisfied. For this reason, when reading an image of thesubsequent document MS, the first reading mode is executed, and thedocument MS is transported at a speed which is defined by the firstreading mode. Accordingly, when it is not necessary to execute thesecond reading mode, it is possible to appropriately perform switchingfrom the second reading mode to the first reading mode.

Third Embodiment

Subsequently, a third embodiment in which an image reading apparatus 11is embodied will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8. Inaddition, in the third embodiment, a point of automatically detecting athickness of a document MS as a reading target of an image, anddetermining whether to perform the second reading mode or the firstreading mode based on the detection result is different from each of thefirst and second embodiments. Accordingly, in the followingdescriptions, parts which are different from those in the first andsecond embodiments will be mainly described, the same constituentelements as those in the first and second embodiment are given the samereference numerals, and redundant descriptions will be omitted.

A control device 60 of the image reading apparatus 11 will be describedwith reference to FIG. 7.

The control device 60 includes a microcomputer which is configured of aCPU, a ROM, and the like, and various driver circuits. As illustrated inFIG. 7, such a control device 60 includes a transport control unit 61, amode selection unit 66, a data generation unit 64, and a data outputunit 65 as functional units which are configured of at least one ofsoftware and hardware.

The mode selection unit 66 determines whether or not a transporteddocument MS is thin based on an attenuation rate α which is detected bythe multi-feeding detecting sensor 610. In addition, when it isdetermined that the document MS is not thin, the mode selection unit 66selects the first reading mode (refer to FIG. 3) corresponding to aresolution of an image which is desired by a user, and outputsinformation related to the selected first reading mode (for example,third mode) to the transport control unit 61 and the data generationunit 64. On the other hand, when it is determined that the document MSis thin, the mode selection unit 66 selects the second reading mode, andoutputs information related to the selected second reading mode to thetransport control unit 61 and the data generation unit 64.

Here, an example of a method of determining whether or not a transporteddocument MS is thin will be described.

That is, when a document MS is located between an output unit 611 and aninput unit 612 of the multi-feeding detecting sensor 610, a sonic wavewhich is output from the output unit 611 is input to the input unit 612by passing through the document MS. At this time, the thinner thedocument MS, the sonic wave is rarely attenuated when the sonic wavepenetrates the document MS. That is, it is possible to approximatelyassume a thickness of a document MS based on an attenuation rate α of asonic wave. Accordingly, a determining attenuation rate αTh2 is providedas an attenuation rate α as a standard for determining whether or not adocument MS is thin, and it is determined that a document MS which istransported is thin, when the attenuation rate α is less than thedetermining attenuation rate αTh2.

In addition, there is a case in which a plurality of thin documents MSare transported by being overlapped. For example, when two documents MSare overlapped, an attenuation rate α which is detected using themulti-feeding detecting sensor 610 becomes larger than an attenuationrate when one document MS which is not thin is transported. For thisreason, the multi-feeding detecting attenuation rate αTh1 is set to avalue which is larger than the attenuation rate when one document MSwhich is not thin is transported. In this manner, when an attenuationrate α is the determining attenuation rate αTh2 or more, and less thanthe multi-feeding detecting attenuation rate αTh1, it is possible todetermine that the transported document MS is not thin. Meanwhile, whenan attenuation rate α is the multi-feeding detecting attenuation rateαTh1 or more, it is possible to determine that a plurality of documentsMS are transported by being overlapped.

Subsequently, a processing procedure when reading an image of a documentMS will be described with reference to the flowchart which isillustrated in FIG. 8.

As illustrated in FIG. 8, transporting of a document MS in the firstreading mode corresponding to a resolution of an image which is desiredby a user is started (step S31). In addition, when the document MS islocated between the output unit 611 and the input unit 612 of themulti-feeding detecting sensor 610, whether or not an attenuation rate αwhich is detected using the multi-feeding detecting sensor 610 is lessthan the determining attenuation rate αTh2 is determined (step S32).That is, in step S32, whether or not a document MS which is transportedis thin is determined.

In addition, when the attenuation rate α is less than the determiningattenuation rate αTh2 (Yes in step S32), it is determined that a thindocument MS is transported, and a reading mode is switched from thefirst reading mode to the second reading mode (step S33). Due to this, atransport speed of the document MS is lowered. When the second readingmode is executed in this manner, the specifying lamp 52A is turned on.In addition, the process proceeds to the subsequent step S34.

In step S34, whether or not the front end of the document MS is detectedis determined using the end portion detecting sensor 600. When the frontend of the document MS is not detected yet (No in step S34), the processproceeds to the above described step S32. On the other hand, when thefront end of the document MS is detected (Yes in step S34), the processproceeds to the step S37 which will be described later. That is, whenthe front end of the document MS passes through the end portiondetecting sensor 600, and reaches in front of the reading device 30,changing of a reading mode is prohibited, and a transport speed of adocument MS is not changed.

Meanwhile, when the attenuation rate α is the determining attenuationrate αTh2 or more in step S32 (No), since it is possible to determinethat a document MS which is transported is not thin, whether or not theattenuation rate α is less than the multi-feeding detecting attenuationrate αTh1 is determined (step S35). In step S35, whether or not aplurality of documents MS are transported by being overlapped isdetermined. In addition, when the attenuation rate α is less than themulti-feeding detecting attenuation rate αTh1 (Yes in step S35), sinceit is possible to determine that one document MS which is not thin istransported, the process proceeds to the above described step S34. Inthis case, an image is read by the reading units 31 and 32 whiletransporting the document MS at a transport speed which is defined inthe first reading mode. In addition, when the document MS is transportedin the first reading mode in this manner, the specifying lamp 52A isturned off.

Meanwhile, when the attenuation rate α is the multi-feeding detectingattenuation rate αTh1 or more (No in step S35), since it is possible todetermine that a plurality of documents MS are transported by beingoverlapped, reading of an image is stopped (step S36). In this case,transporting of the documents MS is stopped, and the error is notifiedto a user using the user interface 50. Thereafter, the process isfinished.

In step S37, reading of an image of a document MS which is transportedis started. In addition, whether or not an attenuation rate α which isdetected in the middle of reading of an image using the multi-feedingdetecting sensor 610 in this manner is less than the multi-feedingdetecting attenuation rate αTh1 is determined (step S38). When theattenuation rate α is the multi-feeding detecting attenuation rate αTh1or more (No in step S38), since it is possible to determine that aplurality of documents MS are transported by being overlapped, theprocess proceeds to the above described step S36. That is, when it isdetected that a plurality of documents MS are transported by beingoverlapped, reading of an image which is in the middle of being executedis stopped.

Meanwhile, when the attenuation rate α is less than the multi-feedingdetecting attenuation rate αTh1 (Yes in step S38), whether or notreading of an image of a document MS which is transported is completedis determined (step S39). When reading of the image is not completed yet(No in step S39), the process proceeds to the above described step S38,and reading of the image is continued. On the other hand, when readingof the image is completed (Yes in step S39), the process proceeds to thesubsequent step S40.

In step S40, whether or not there is the subsequent document MS of whichan image is to be read is determined. When there is the subsequentdocument MS (Yes in step S40), the process proceeds to the abovedescribed step S31, and transporting of the subsequent document MS isstarted. In this case, transporting of a document MS in the firstreading mode is started even after reading of an image in the secondreading mode. That is, a completion of reading of an image of a documentMS corresponds to a “predetermined ending condition” for switching fromthe second reading mode to the first reading mode.

On the other hand, when there is not the subsequent document MS (No instep S40), image data which is generated by the data generation unit 64is output to the data output unit 65 (step S41), and the process isfinished.

As described above, according to the image reading apparatus 11 in theembodiment, it is possible to obtain the following effects.

(4) When the document MS which is transported by the transport device 20is not thin, the first reading mode is executed. In addition, aresolution of an image based on image data which is generated when auser instructs reading of a document MS to the image reading apparatus11 can be selected by the user. For this reason, it is possible toprovide a user with image data as image data which is desired by theuser.

On the other hand, when a document MS which is transported by thetransport device 20 is thin, the second reading mode is executed. Inthis case, though the document MS is transported at a lower speed thanthat in the first reading mode, data of an image with the sameresolution as that in the first reading mode is generated. That is, itis possible to provide image data which is independent from a transportspeed of a document MS to a user while suppressing a transport failuresuch as paper jam. Accordingly, it is possible to generate image datawith a resolution which is desired by a user even when a transport speedof a document MS is variable.

(5) In the image reading apparatus 11 according to the embodiment, whenan attenuation rate α of a sonic wave which is detected using themulti-feeding detecting sensor 610 is less than the determiningattenuation rate αTh2, the second reading mode is executed, since it ispossible to determine that a document MS which is transported is thin.It is possible to execute the second reading mode by automaticallyselecting the mode, using a detection result using the multi-feedingdetecting sensor 610 in this manner.

(6) The multi-feeding detecting attenuation rate αTh1 which is athreshold value for determining whether or not a plurality of documentsMS are transported by being overlapped is determined to be a value whichis larger than the determining attenuation rate αTh2. In addition, it ispossible to determine whether only one document which is not thin istransported, or a plurality of documents are transported by beingoverlapped using the multi-feeding detecting attenuation rate αTh1. Inaddition, it is possible to appropriately drive the image readingapparatus 11 according to a circumstance by adopting such adetermination result.

(7) The multi-feeding detecting sensor 610 is arranged between the pairof transport rollers 23 and the pair of feeding rollers 22 in thetransport direction. For this reason, it is possible to determinewhether or not a document MS which is transported is thin before thefront end of the document MS reaches a position of the reading device30. For this reason, it is possible to determine whether to switch areading mode from the first reading mode to the second reading mode, orto continue the first reading mode before actually starting reading ofan image using the reading units 31 and 32. Accordingly, a transportspeed of a document MS may not be changed in the middle of actualreading of an image using the reading units 31 and 32.

(8) In addition, when transporting of a document MS in the secondreading mode is finished, transporting of a document MS in the firstreading mode is started since an ending condition of the second readingmode is satisfied. For this reason, when a part of documents MS is thinat a time of continuously reading the plurality of documents MS, it ispossible to transport the document at a low speed only when reading animage of the document which is thin. Accordingly, even when reading animage of a document which is not thin, it is possible to suppress adecrease in throughput of the image reading apparatus 11 compared to acase in which a document is transported at a low speed.

The above described each embodiment can be modified as follows.

According to the third embodiment, when the multi-feeding detectingsensor 610 is arranged on the upstream side of the reading device 30 inthe transport direction, the multi-feeding detecting sensor 610 may bearranged at another position except for the position between the pair offeeding rollers 22 and the pair of transport rollers 23 in the transportdirection. For example, the multi-feeding detecting sensor 610 may bearranged between the reading device 30 and the pair of transport rollers23 in the transport direction.

A sensor other than the sonic wave sensor may be adopted as amulti-feeding detecting sensor, when the sensor can detect whether ornot a document MS which is transported is thin, and whether or not aplurality of documents MS are transported by being overlapped.

A current value which flows in the transport motor 26 at a time oftransporting a document MS becomes large when a load which is applied topair of rollers which rotate using the transport motor 26 as a drivingsource is large. In addition, such a load is changed according to athickness of a document MS which is transported, or the number ofdocuments MS which are overlapped. Therefore, according to the secondembodiment, whether or not a document MS which is transported is thinmay be determined based on a current value which flows in the transportmotor 26, instead of an attenuation rate α which is detected using themulti-feeding detecting sensor 610. Similarly, in each of the first andsecond embodiments, whether or not a plurality of documents MS aretransported by being overlapped may be determined based on a currentvalue which flows in the transport motor 26.

In each of the first and second embodiments, a user operation forselecting the second reading mode may be executed in an external devicewhich can communicate with the image reading apparatus 11, instead ofthe user interface 50 of the image reading apparatus 11. In this case,the second reading mode is executed when specific setting information asinformation related to a user operation is received by the controldevice 60 of the image reading apparatus 11 from the external device.

In each of the first and second embodiments, when reading of an image inthe second reading mode is finished, and reading of an image based onthe subsequent job is executed, the first reading mode may be executedby setting the specifying button 51A to the OFF-state, and turning offthe specifying lamp 52A. In this case, inputting of an instruction ofreading an image to the control device 60 based on the subsequent jobcorresponds to an “ending condition”.

In each of the above described embodiments, the second reading mode isexecuted when necessary, even when the third mode is selected by a user;however, it is not limited to this, and the second reading mode may notbe executed when the third mode is selected. In this case, for example,in each of the first and second embodiments, when the third mode isselected, the third mode is executed whether the specifying button 51Ais the ON-state, or the OFF-state. In addition, according to the thirdembodiment, when the third mode is selected, the third mode is executedeven when an attenuation rate α of a sonic wave which is detected usingthe multi-feeding detecting sensor 610 is less than the determiningattenuation rate αTh2.

In each of the first and second embodiments, when an attenuation rate αof a sonic wave which is detected using the multi-feeding detectingsensor 610 is the determining attenuation rate αTh2 or more, the firstreading mode may be executed even when the specifying button 51A is inthe ON-state. In addition, the second reading mode may be executed whenthe specifying button 51A is in the ON-state, and an attenuation rate αof a sonic wave which is detected using the multi-feeding detectingsensor 610 is less than the determining attenuation rate αTh2.

In addition, when the specifying button 51A is in the OFF-state, thefirst reading mode may be executed even when an attenuation rate α of asonic wave which is detected using the multi-feeding detecting sensor610 is less than the determining attenuation rate αTh2.

The reading device 30 may have a configuration of including any one ofthe first reading unit 31 and the second reading unit 32.

The transport device 20 may have a configuration of not including thefeeding motor 25. In this case, the feeding roller 21 may be rotated bydriving the transport motor 26.

When an image reading apparatus is an apparatus which generates imagedata related to an image of a document, and outputs the image data to anexternal device, the image reading apparatus may be realized in anotherapparatus such as a fax machine.

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/042,000 filed Feb. 11, 2016, entitled “IMAGE READING APPARATUS”,which claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2015-025473,filed Feb. 12, 2015. All foregoing applications are expresslyincorporated by reference herein.

1-9. (canceled)
 10. An image reading apparatus that reads an image of adocument based on input information, the image reading apparatuscomprising: a transport unit that transports the document; a readingunit that reads the image of the document transported by the transportunit; and a control unit that generates image data of the image read bythe reading unit, wherein the control unit is configured to execute afirst reading mode and a second reading mode, the first reading modeincluding a first processing and a second processing, the firstprocessing reading the image by a first resolution and a first transportspeed and the second processing reading the image by a second resolutionthat is lower than the first resolution and a second transport speedthat is faster than the first transport speed, the second reading modeincluding the first processing and a third processing, the thirdprocessing reading the image by the second resolution and a thirdtransport speed that is slower than the second transport speed, whereinthe control unit changes the first reading mode to the second readingmode when input information including specific setting information isinput to read the image of the document.
 11. The image reading apparatusaccording to claim 10, wherein the control unit reads the image of thedocument in the second reading mode when the input information includingthe specific setting information is input to read the image of thedocument until reading the entire document ends.
 12. The image readingapparatus according to claim 10, wherein the third transport speed isequal to the first transport speed.
 13. The image reading apparatusaccording to claim 10, further comprising: an input unit that isconfigured to input the input information, the input unit furtherconfigured to select the first processing and the second processing,wherein when the input information including specific settinginformation is input to read the image of the document, the controlunit: reads the image by the first resolution and the first transportspeed when the first processing is selected and, reads the image by thesecond resolution and the third transport speed when the secondprocessing is selected.
 14. The image reading apparatus according toclaim 10, further comprising: an input unit that is provided in anexternal device connected to the image reading apparatus and that isconfigured to input the input information, the input unit furtherconfigured to select the first processing and the second processing,wherein when the input information including specific settinginformation is input to read the image of the document, the controlunit: reads the image by the first resolution and the first transportspeed when the first processing is selected and, reads the image by thesecond resolution and the third transport speed when the secondprocessing is selected.